


The Murder at Madame Hotel

by HakoMinsol



Series: Dark Love [2]
Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Crimes & Criminals, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Fluff and Angst, Love, M/M, Minor Lee Minhyuk/Son Hyunwoo | Shownu, Murder Mystery, Psychological Drama, Suspicions, Yoo Kihyun-centric
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:27:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24344998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HakoMinsol/pseuds/HakoMinsol
Summary: A mysterious murder in a hotel far away from civilisation, mysterious guests and the beginning of a love story. Will more people die or will they find the murderer in time to save themselves and the people they love?
Relationships: Im Changkyun | I.M & Yoo Kihyun, Im Changkyun | I.M/Yoo Kihyun
Series: Dark Love [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1158722
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15





	1. Madame Hotel

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Playlist](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/624349) by by me. 



> I planned this story for almost two years, and finally I was ready to take on the story! Not bad :)  
> 

_A round, tall middle-aged man came walking in, you could see he was engrossed in his wealth with his arrogance and high class clothes. The man looked behind him with a domestic scowl, dragging with him a scared small boy._

_≈≈≈≈≈_

Kihyun was a highly respected doctor, even though he was young, he was excellent in his profession and worked hard, but he was getting a little tired, exhausted and slow. So his boss decided to send him on a little holiday, far away from the city and all the work and stress. A hotel in the mountains, known for its privacy and beautiful nature surrounding the whole place, the Madame Hotel.

The day for his departure had come, he was looking forward to just relax and get his strength and motivation back. His cab came turning in to the driveway, a small black taxi cab with the driver smiling friendly at him. 

The closer he came to the mountains, the more snow piled up around the scenery. It was early January after all. The trees was bending down, almost touching the ground with the weight of the snow, and the crystal blue sky already clearing his mind from all the responsibility and duty weighing in his mind. 

After a three hour drive, Kihyun was starting to see the hotel he was going to be staying at for the next two weeks. The hotel stood on the top of the mountain, overlooking a sea of a snow decked forest. There were no sign of any life for miles away. 

«Welcome dear guest,» Kihyun walked to the reception desk where a tall, lanky dark haired man stood, smiling brightly at him. «Hello, I have booked a room…Yoo Kihyun?» he asked awkwardly, the man opened a book and scanned it before turning towards the key cabinet. 

«You’ll have the room 304, the butler will take your luggage up to your room for you,» he said as he handed over the key. Kihyun gave a short nod and followed the butler up the stairs, «Here you are, room 304. If there is any inconvenience you can take it in the reception, dinner will be served in the dining hall at seven this evening. We hope you’ll have a nice stay here at Madame Hotel.» 

Kihyun sat himself down on the bed and looked at the room. The room were a decent size, a wooden desk with a mirror hanging over it, a bathroom with a shower, a queen sized bed and a big window with a view over the mountain. He let out a big breath and laid himself flat on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. 

«I hope I get to have the rest I need, a total relax,» he muttered to himself as he thought of the hospital and the work he left behind. 

There wasn’t many guests visiting the hotel as Christmas break wasn’t that long ago, but that didn’t bother Kihyun as he walked around the establishment almost completely alone. He came over a man sitting in the corner writing in a brown leather book, «Hello, mind if I join you?» Kihyun asked, the man looked up and gave a gently smile as he nodded toward the empty seat beside him. 

«Are you a journalist?» he asked as he sat himself down in the chair, motioning toward the book. The man leaned back in his chair, «No, I’m an author. Don’t know if you are familiar with my work, _Bates Hotel_ or _The Red Rose_?» he asked as he folded his fingers together. Kihyun thought over the titles, but nothing he had heard of. 

«It seems like I’m not familiar of your work, what is the genre?» he asked politely, «I write murder mysteries, fictions of course, not of true crime stories.» he said pleased with himself. The man leaned over and offered his hand, «Chae Hyungwon, a pleasure to meet you,» Kihyun gave a small smile and gently took Hyungwon’s hand. 

«Yoo Kihyun, the pleasure is mine». 

As the clock was near seven, the sky darkened and snow came falling thickly down, Kihyun started to walk towards the dining area. He found a table by a big window and sat himself down, the dining hall was like a ballroom, big and ancient. The walls were decorated with paintings of portraits of royal and noble people through the years, ‘ _creepy_ ’ Kihyun thought as he looked at a painting of Henrik the 8th. 

«Can I have a seat?» said Hyungwon motioning towards the chair, Kihyun nodded with a smile, «Of course, won’t say no to some company». 

Hyungwon was about to talk about his new book he was writing when a man in white and black walked towards the middle of the room, demanding everyones attention. 

«Excuse me Ladies and Gentlemen, I am the chief of this hotel, Lee Jooheon. I will present todays menu,» the chief, Jooheon, said in a clear friendly voice.  «For this evenings appetizer we will serve Crab-Stuffed Lobster Tail with garlic dressing, followed up by the entrée of Roasted Rack of Lamb with Roasted Pumpkin and Chickpea Salad. The dessert is a start of what we all now is looking forward too, Springtime Beignets and Berries,» Jooheon gave a little proud smile of his menu as he looked around the room. 

«I hope you all enjoy yourselves,» he turned and walked towards the kitchen before a row of waiters came waltzing out with the first dish. 

Kihyun, already saturated from dinner, excused himself before the dessert was served to retire to his room. As he went through the lobby the front door bursted open and Kihyun couldn’t quite believe his eyes, a round, tall middle-aged, high-class man came walking in. He looked behind him where the man was dragging a scared small boy with him, they locked eyes, his eyes were dark and empty as they stared at each other. 


	2. The Boy

Kihyun looked out the window, the sky a crystal blue and trees as far as he could see covered in a thick layer of pure white snow. Sitting in his bed, he thought about the encounter with the scared boy from last night. He didn’t like to think about it, but for many nights he have had a dream about the exact encounter, it was also the reason for his vacation, he just thought he was overworked, but to actually be face to face with the dream that have been driving him insane… Everything was just bizarre and he didn’t really like to think about it. But Kihyun had another problem, every time he would think of the fragile boy and his dark eyes, his heart would start to beat faster. 

In the dining hall Hyungwon sat with his brown leather book and a cup of coffee, but his attention was elsewhere. Kihyun came towards him with his own coffee and sat himself down to join the man, «What are you looking at so intently?» he asked as he followed his gaze towards a table with to people, he recognised the man he had seen from yesterday and in his dreams, but the man didn’t sit with the boy, he sat with a woman he did not know who were. 

«It’s the hotel owner, Kim Si-Dae and his wife which I don’t know the name of,» Hyungwon answered stil staring at the couple, he turned to Kihyun, «I have heard a lot about the owner, nothing really good or bad, just that he’s filthy rich and that he dedicated this hotel to his wife, hence it’s called Madame Hotel,» he explained and proceeded to drink his coffee. Kihyun didn’t know if he should pry, but he was so curious, «I saw him entering the hotel yesterday, but he was not with his wife, do you know anything about who the boy he came with is?» Hyungwon thought for a minute, «I’m not quite sure, but I have heard about a rumour that Kim Si-Dae…» he lowered his voice to a whisper, «…has a toy-boy,» he finished and glanced over at the table where the man sat. 

Kihyun was rooted to his chair and looked down into his coffee deep in thought, ‘ _it’s just a rumour, he can’t be a toy-boy…could he?_ ’. Disturbed by the thought, he left his coffee, Hyungwon looked up as he left the dining hall, his own coffee cooling down as he focused on writing in his book. 

Unwanted thoughts was swirling inside Kihyun’s head, ‘w _hy do I even care?_ ’, at that thought he stopped dead in his tracks.  «Yeah, why _do_ I care? I don’t even know the boy,» he mumbled to himself. 

He felt a headache blooming and decided to go back to his room to relax, on his way towards the stairs he heard the butler and the man in the reception talk. «Do you know where Hoseok is? Room 211 have clogged the toilet, again,» the receptionist deadpanned. «Don’t speak so loud, Minhyuk. We are still at work, you can speak freely in the break room. But I will look for him and give him the message,» the butler answered in a calm and low voice. Smiling, the receptionist gave the butler a kiss on the cheek, «Thank you, Hyunwoo! I can always count on you,» he said giving him a cheeky smile, making the butler red. Kihyun, not wanting to disturb, walked gently up the stairs. ‘ _cute_ ’ he thought as he smiled to himself, he had always wanted to find love himself, but being a doctor was a lot of work, meaning he hardly ever had time to love, not that he found anyone interesting anyway. An image of a thin, scared boy popped up in his mind. 

The third floor, Kihyun looked down the corridor where his room was located, he turned and looked up the stairs before he started to walk up to the last floor, the seventh floor. The rooms at the top were for the people with wealth, so the room was bigger and few than those further down, but Kihyun wanted to see the view from one of the windows in the corridor. 

As he walked towards the closest window he heard a door open behind him, he turned and saw the boy thats been on his mind for so long standing by the door in a white shirt that was too big on him and some worn brown pants. They stared at each other before the boy started to turn to the room again, «Wait!» Kihyun shouted as he started to run towards the boy who had stopped with the door as a shield, he saw the curiosity in the boys eyes. Now that he stood before the boy, he didn’t quite know what to say, clumsily trying to find something to say to not seem like a creep or an idiot. 

«Do you like poetry?» said the small, deep voice of the boy in front of him. Kihyun was a little taken aback, «Yeah, I like poetry,» he said awkwardly. The boy thought for a few seconds before opening the door to invite him in, Kihyun carefully stepped inside the room.

It was a bigger room than the other, as he thought, but to actually see the room was something else than to imagine it, the room looked like an apartment. Well not quite an apartment, only thing missing is the kitchen and the feeling of a home. The boy closed the door and went over to the bookshelves in the room that looked like a living room, he searched the books and took one out. 

«This is my favourite,» he said quietly and handed Kihyun the book with a page the boy wanted him to read. « _Alone_ by Edgar Allan Poe,» Kihyun read, the boy inched closer, «Can I read it to you?» he asked as he stared into his eyes. Kihyun nodded and he began reading; 

_From childhood’s hour I have not been_

_As others were; I have not seen_

_As others saw; I could not bring_

_My passions from a common spring._

_From the same source I have not taken_

_My sorrow; I could not awaken_

_My heart to joy at the same tone;_

_And all I loved, I loved alone._

_Then- in my childhood, in the dawn_

_Of a most stormy life- was drawn_

_From every depth of good and ill_

_The mystery which binds me still:_

_From the torrent, or the fountain,_

_From the red cliff of the mountain,_

_From the sun that round me rolled_

_In its autumn tint of gold,_

_From the lightning in the sky_

_As it passed me flying by,_

_From the thunder and the storm,_

_And the cloud that took the form_

_(When the rest of heaven was blue)_

_Of a demon in my view._

A silence as the boy was done, Kihyun sat there and stared at him, ‘ _he’s beautiful_ ’ was all he could think as they sat in silence. «Thank you for listening, I don’t really get much company,» the boy said, a little smile grazed his soft face. 

«I’m Kihyun,» he said, smiling at the boy in front of him. «My name’s Chankyun,» the boy said smiling brighter, making Kihyun feel his cheeks and ears getting warmer as his heart started beating faster. «Do you have more poetry you like?» Kihyun asked as he wanted to listen to Changkyun read more, he liked his deep voice and listened as Changkyun started to read another. 

It was first when the room started to get darker that Kihyun realised how long he had been with Changkyun, it seemed like Changkyun had also realised as his eyes became bigger and hurriedly stood up. 

«You have to go, the masters will come back any minute. They can’t know you have been here with me,» he said with fear, Kihyun could see how scared and uneasy he was, he didn’t want to see Changkyun so scared, so he did as he said and headed to the door. 

They looked carefully out the door, the hallway was empty and Kihyun stepped out ready to head down to the dining area. «If you don’t mind, would you perhaps like to come here again tomorrow?» Changkyun asked shyly with his head poking out of the door, Kihyun smiled at how cute he was, «I will,» he answered and was rewarded with the most beautiful smile he had ever seen. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there!  
> I put in a poem by Edgar Allan Poe, I had to as I got the idea for the story when I was reading some of his work (hehe), but it does have a purpose to the story (I didn't just put it in for nothing). 
> 
> Have a good day/night/morning and thank you for taking your time reading :)


	3. Hope

Kihyun watched as Kim Si-Dae and his wife took their seat at the table by the bar, he himself sat by the window as he felt comfortable there and Hyungwon seemed to enjoy the spot as well. The chef had introduced the menu, not that confident as last time, of the evening and returned to the kitchen as everyone was getting their first dish served. 

Kihyun glanced over to the couple, ‘ _does Changkyun get any food? He’s so thin, are they even feeding him? Should I bring some treats to him tomorrow?_ ’, «Want to invite them over?» interrupted a sarcastic Hyungwon his thought process. 

«Yeah, like any of us want _that_ over here,» he deadpanned as the waiters came out with the next dish. 

Leaning back in his chair, Kihyun felt satisfied after a good meal, «Care for a drink at the bar?» Hyungwon suggested as he pushed himself out of the chair. 

«Yeah, why not,» he answered and they moved towards the bar where a lady stood, ready to take their orders, «Dry Whiskey please,» Hyungwon ordered and looked over at Kihyun as he ordered a Gin & Tonic for himself. 

«Two young men, drinking like some old men, heh,» Hyungwon said as he huffed out a laugh, «Young men with old souls,» Kihyun smiled smugly as he got his drink. 

«Cheers,» they held up their glass and drank, a pair took a seat beside Kihyun, it was Kim Si-Dae and his wife. 

«Evening gentlemen, going with the old classics I see,» the wife greeted, giving a sweet smile as

she looked at their drinks. 

«I would like a red wine, please, and a Cognac to the grump beside me, thank you,» the woman said as her husband looked at her disapprovingly, he huffed as he got his drink, «Women,» he muttered grumpily to himself. 

«Don’t mind him, always so grumpy, I’m Kim Hae-Sook and that is unfortunately my husband, Kim Si-Dae, but you already knew that, didn’t you?» she said as she sipped at her wine, Kim Si-Dae downed his drink and left the dining hall. 

Kihyun and Hyungwon glanced at each other as the older man left the room, «Well, I should be follow my husband before he does something stupid,» Kim Hae-Sook said, shaking her head as she too left the room with a goodnight. Kihyun wasn’t sure, but thought he saw a look of pure joy on her face as she had said those words and he felt an unpleasant feeling in his stomach. 

Kihyun sat on the bed in his room, the encounter with Kim Si-Dae and his wife, Kim Hae-Sook had made him uncomfortable. ‘ _I hope Changkyun is alright_ ’ he looked out the window, the moon shining brightly throwing dark light through his window. 

The wind was howling and cold filled the little room Kihyun stayed in as he woke up shivering, «Seems like it’s going to be a storm coming,» he sighed as he stared at the snow falling thickly down. 

It was an uneventful morning, he and Hyungwon sat at their table and some tables away sat the couple, Kim Si-Dae and Kim Hae-Sook. Kihyun tried to not think about yesterdays exchange, instead focusing on Changkyun and his smile that made him feel all warm inside. As he left the dining hall he took with him some fruit and cookies to give to Changkyun, smiling to himself he went to the stairs. 

«You can’t find him? like not at all?» came a frantic hushed voice from the reception desk, Kihyun, a little curious, looked over and saw the receptionist, Minhyuk, whispering furiously to the butler, Hyunwoo. 

«I have called on Hoseok several times! I need him to fix a leak on the fourth floor, it’s kinda urgent,» Minhyuk, the receptionist continued looking desperate. 

«I will find him Minhyuk, don’t worry,» Hyunwoo, the butler said giving a comforting smile, «Besides, it’s looking like there is going to be a storm later,» he finished looking out the window. Kihyun also looked outside and saw how the weather had become much worse than earlier, frowning a little he went up the stairs towards the seventh floor. 

Changkyun opened the door, smiling shyly and letting Kihyun inside, «The masters will not be back before after dinner, you can stay as long as you want till then, if you want,» he said as they sat down at the bookshelf. 

«As long as you want me here, I’ll stay as long as you wish,» Kihyun answered, smiling at each other. 

And there they sat and talked about poetry and each other, their likes and dislikes. Kihyun felt comfortable with Changkyun and wanted to spend more time with him, but his stay at Madame Hotel wasn’t long. 

«Changkyun… can I ask you something?» he asked a little hesitantly, Changkyun looked at him and nodded. 

«Why are you here?» Kihyun asked not looking away from the boy in front of him, Changkyun looked sad and turned his head towards the window. It was dark out, only the white snow falling was visible. 

«I have always been with my masters, they took me inn when I was left by my parents in an orphanage. They are the only one I have ever known, so where they go, I go,» he answered still looking out the window. Kihyun wanted to ask more, but before he could Changkyun spoke again. 

«I want to ask you a question now,» he said as he turned to look at him again, «What is it like to be your own master?» he asked, looking deep into Kihyun’s eyes with hope and determination. 

Kihyun was taken by surprise and didn’t really know what to say, «I don’t now,» he whispered looking down at his hands in his lap. 

The whole night Kihyun thought about Changkyun’s question, so much so that he couldn’t sleep, he watched as the sky became lighter. The weather had become worse, it was a blizzard outside, the snow so thick he could hardly see through it. 

‘ _What is it like to be your own master?_ ’ he thought, ‘ _What is it like to be free?_ ’, the thought had made a deep feeling in his chest. 

«This is the third time this week that Hoseok have been ignoring his duties!» whisper shouted the receptionist to the butler, but now the chef stood with the duo looking as worried as the butler. Kihyun didn’t really mean to listen inn, but he also wondered what was happening to this Hoseok guy. He walked calmly past the trio and headed to the dining hall, pretending to have heard nothing. 

Hyungwon sat at the table with a coffee and his leather book, Kihyun walked over with a coffee of his own and sat down, joining Hyungwon and looked out the window. 

«Seems like the storm won’t calm down any time soon,» Hyungwon said, taking Kihyun’s attention to himself, «If it keeps going like this we will be snowed inn, it’s like I’m inside one of my own stories,» he continued jokingly with a hint of seriousness. 

«If it’s like one of your stories I don’t think I want to be inn it,» Kihyun said jokingly, trying to lift the mood. 

≈≈≈≈≈

«I don’t like it,» Changkyun said looking out at the storm, «The thought of being stuck here with the masters,» he finished. Kihyun took hold of his hand, he wanted Changkyun to come with him, he wanted Changkyun to live a better life, he wanted Changkyun in his life. He had thought about Changkyun since before they met, in his dream he also wanted him. 

«When the storm is over, will you come with me?» Kihyun asked, «I have thought about your question about being your own master… to be free,» he paused as he laced their fingers together. 

«I don’t know how to be free, but I do know how to decide my own life and if you want, you can come with me and have a normal life…with me,» Changkyun looked surprised for a moment, and then bloomed a beautiful smile on his face, «I can really come with you?» he asked hopeful. 

«Only if you want to,» Kihyun said smiling, he lowered their laced fingers and moved closer to Changkyun as he closed the distance and was met with soft, warm lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone is doing okay, stay safe!


	4. A Murder

Kihyun sat down to dinner feeling light and peaceful, the chef however looked as he hadn’t slept for days. He had big bags under his eyes and he kept shuffling his feet as he presented todays menu, ‘ _have they not heard anything from this Hoseok guy?_ ’ Kihyun grumbled. He got his answer when he walked past the reception desk where Minhyuk and Hyunwoo stood looking stressed.

«I have not heard or seen Hoseok for days, where can he be?» Minhyuk cried, Hyunwoo held Minhyuks hand in his as he bit his lip in worry. Kihyun too was wondering, but it wasn’t really his business, but he hoped they would find Hoseok.

The clock was five in the morning when Kihyun was woken up by a loud scream. Confused and sleepy, Kihyun got up from his bed and headed to his door to peak out at the hallway. By the stairs stood a small group of staff and sleepy guests in a circle, Kihyun walked away across the hall where they were gathered.

«What’s happening?» said a very confused and groggy man in front of him, there were quiet muttering coming from the circle occupying the stairs.

«Someone is dead,» said an elderly woman, «There is a dead man in the staircase,» said another elderly woman. Kihyun pressed himself between the small crowed and saw the dead man lying in the stairs.

Covered in blood lay the hotel owner Kim Si-Dae, his head was smashed inn with an axe, the only indicator that it was Kim Si-Dae was his expensive suit and jewellery that he wore last night.

Suddenly there was a shrill shriek coming running down the stairs, it was a pale faced Kim Hae-Sook, Kim Si-Dea’s wife. She forced herself trough the crowded staircase and stopped dead in her tracks as she stared down in horror at her husband, it looked like she was either going to puke or faint as she became sickly purple.

The staff quickly moved Kim Hae-Sook away from the scene and urged the crowd to go back to their rooms. Kihyun looked up the staircase towards the figure looking down at him, Changkyun looked at him with dark empty eyes.

Kihyun went down where the staff had moved Kim Hae-Sook, he wanted to see the wife of the murdered man, this had become a murder scene.

«Sorry, but we can’t let you in for the moment, please stay in your room till the police arrive,» said the receptionist somewhat on the edge of tears.

«I’m a doctor and I want to see if the woman of the dead man is alright,» Kihyun said with a serious tone as he looked steadily at Minhyuk.

Minhyuk looked a little uncertain, but he let Kihyun inside where Jooheon was the only one to acknowledge his presence. Kihyun saw Kim Hae-Sook sitting on a green velvet chair looking pale, but not as purple as she was a few minutes ago.

«Excuse me mrs. Kim, I’m Kihyun and I’m a doctor,» he said as calmly and soft as he could, «How are you feeling?» she gave no answer, she was just starring at he shaking hands.

Kihyun took her hand to get her attention, «Did your husband ever come back to your room last night?» he asked in a whisper. Kim Hae-Sook glanced at him with furrowed eyebrows and whispered a weak ‘ _no_ ’.

The butler suddenly ran in, «The police can’t reach the hotell, we are snowed inn, no one can get out either,» Hyunwoo said scared. The snow have been falling non stop the last days, it would take a while before anyone van clear the path to the main road, they would have to wait for the storm to calm down. But the more pressuring issue is that there’s a murderer inside the hotell.


	5. Interrogation

Kihyun sat on his bed, after calming Kim Hae-Sook down and sent her to her room he went to his own room, now he that he had sat down and calmed himself down, all the questions came pouring out, but the main questions was ‘who killed Kim Si-Dae and is this Hoseok connected to the murder?’.

Letting out a sigh, he looked to the window and watched the snow fall down from the sky, a never ending storm trapping everyone inside.

Waking up some hours later, Kihyun went down to the reception where there were chaos, people with packed bags stood puddled together shouting over one another. The receptionist, Minhyuk, looked tired as he tried to calm the crowd down.

«Please, everyone calm down, we are trying to open the road again so the police can come, but before that we need you all to go back to your rooms,» Minhyuk shouted over the crowd, a middle aged woman beside Kihyun sighed and walked up the stairs, more and more people eventually followed.Kihyun walked calmly towards Minhyuk, he caught his eyes and greeted him with a small awkward smile.

«Sorry to be a bother, but how long will we have to wait for the police to arrive?» Kihyun asked in a gentle voice, not wanting to burden the poor receptionist any more than necessary.

«Actually, we are not quite certain, the police can’t do anything as long as the snow keeps falling down. It wouldn’t be a problem normally as we have enough food and supplies to last a few weeks, but the problem isn’t the food, but that we have a dead body in the basement and a murderer we don’t know who is trapped inside the hotel with the rest,» Minhyuk sighed and looked scared, «I just don’t know how we can handle the situation anymore,» he said as he looked down to his hands.

«I don’t think we can wait for the police, as you said, we don’t know how long it can take for the help to arrive,» Kihyun said thoughtfully, «Could you gather the staff together this afternoon? Not every staff member, but the butler, the chef, you and the writer, Chae Hyngwon,» he said confidently.

«I can, but why?» Minhyuk asked bemused, «I will explain later,» Kihyun said as he hurried to his room.

Minhyuk had successfully gathered everyone together, they were all seated around a table looking expectedly at Kihyun, licking his lips and taking a deep breath, Kihyun thought of how to begin his speech, ‘ _I have gathered you all here today to_ …no, that’s not right’ he thought, trying to figure out what to say he just decided to go for it.

«As you all now, the owner of Madame Hotel was found murdered this morning, the police are unable to get to the hotel to help, so I believe we have to do something… We should find out who murdered Kim Si-Dae, we don’t know if the murderer will strike again, so we have to stop it before that becomes a possibility,» Kihyun said determent, he looked around the table to get the reaction of the people he had gathered.

«So, you want us to play detective?» asked Jooheon unsure, «No, well, kind of. I want everyones help to find out who the killer is, if you have information or saw something unusual that happened… Also because you are all on different locations throughout the day and can keep an eye open for the murderer,» Kihyun explained.

«Also, Chae Hyungwon, you write about crime and mystery, right? Maybe you have some insight on how to spot the killer,» he continued as he looked to the tall male.

«I write mostly fiction, but it’s true that I have insight as I do research on that matter. But I think we should all figure out where we were at the time of the murder and talk to everyone who could have a motive to kill Kim Si-Dae,» Hyungwon said, showing off a cocky smile, probably because of how he sounded so much like he was a professional.

«I can start,» Hyungwon said, «The body was still warm and the blood seemed still fresh, so I assume the murder happened maybe just a few hours before it was discovered, so around 2 am to 5 am,» the others seemed to agree as they slowly bobbed their head.

«Around that time I was asleep in my room, I was alone so I don’t really have someone to verify my alibi,» Hyungwon finished. It was reasonable, even Kihyun and Jooheon had the same alibi, Jooheon normally woke up at 5 am to start on the breakfast menu and often stayed up until 9 pm when dinner was finished.

«Me and Hyunwoo share the night shift as it’s only the two of us that works both day and night, not really ideal, but the pay is better. We share it by sleeping an hour between each shift, Hyunwoo switched with me around 2 am, and I didn’t hear or see anything suspicious. I didn’t see anyone up at that such an hour,» Minhyuk explained, glancing nervously at Hyunwoo who glanced back at Minhyuk and took his hand in his.

«I didn’t see anyone as I and Minhyuk both fell asleep when I should have walked my rounds, I know it was not professional, but it’s hard for the both of us to work day and night without stop,» he said embarrassed as he looked down at the table.

«Well, that is… understandable,» Kihyun piped us as the silence made him uncomfortable, «Did Kim Si-Dae have any enemies or someone who wanted him dead?,» he asked the people around the table.

«Well, yes, almost everyone who was unfortunate enough to know him,» Jooheon said grimly, «To be fair, he wasn’t exactly a ray of sunshine, more like dooms day on two legs,» he finished, getting a few snickers from Minhyuk.

«Who was the one who discovered the body?» Hyungwon asked, wanting to start from the beginning. 

«It was one of the maids, I think it was miss Park Yoo-Na,» Hyunwoo said as he worked closest to the maids as a butler.

Park Yoo-Na looked like a corpse as she walked inside the room, Hyunwoo pulled out a chair and directed her to sit. She looked down at her hands in her lap and took a deep breath before she lifted her head and began to explain what she saw.

«I was on my way to do the laundry… and as I was about to go downstairs, I saw…» she took another deep breath, «I saw the blood run down the stairs and as I followed the trail… his eyes were wide open as he stared at me!» Park Yoo-Na started to cry uncontrollably before steadying herself again and continued.

«Other that mr. Kim, I saw no one on my way to the basement and the first who came running was mr. Lee,» she finished as she looked over to Jooheon who nodded and gave her an encouraging smile.

«I heard her scream as I was on my way to the kitchen, and found her sobbing and screaming athe bottom of the stairs,» Jooheon said looking toward Kihyun. They thanked her and Hyunwoo followed her back to her room before coming back to everyone looking thoughtful.

«Who was the last one to see Kim Si-Dae alive?» Hyunwoo asked as he sat himself down beside Minhyuk, «I didn’t see him go back to his room, did any of you?»

«I saw him in the bar as I left to my own room, the bartender must know when he left the bar and if someone was with him when he left,» Hyungwon suggested and looked over to Jooheon who thought for a moment.

«I think Christopher Bang was the one working at the bar… yeah it must have been him, he often takes the night shift and closes the bar at 1 am,» he answered, and proceeded to get him.

Christopher Bang told how Kim Si-Dae stayed at the bar til closing and that he almost had to throw him out of the bar, as he was reluctant to leave. Christopher finally got to close the bar at around 1:30 am, the tipsy and groggy Kim Si-Dae headed then towards the stair alone.

«So he was alone and on his way to his room, and around that time Hyunwoo did his round and Minhyuk took over the shift half an hour later, but none of you saw him laying in the stairs?» Kihyun asked, both Minhyuk and Hyunwoo agreed to not seeing Kim Si-Dae dead or alive on their shifts.

«It’s possible he was killed later, but how did he end up on the stairs, his room is on the top floor, is it possible he met up with someone before he was brutally murdered or was he murdered and placed on the stairs?» Kihyun asked and looked at the others for their thoughts.

«It’s not possible to be completely curtain, but I think we should look into those who have the strongest motive to kill Kim-Si Dae, and I want to start with his little toy,» Hyungwon suggested, Kihyun didn’t really like the idea of Changkyun being suspected as a murderer, but he knew he shouldn’t let his feeling take full control over situation and should focus more on clearing Changkyun as innocent.


End file.
